


Delirium Tremens

by Malkontent



Category: My Chemical Romance, The Sandman
Genre: Chance Meetings, Concerts, Death, Dog(s), Family, Gen, Insanity, Rain, Rules, Sibling Love, Sisters, Song Lyrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-21
Updated: 2011-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-27 16:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/298003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malkontent/pseuds/Malkontent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Death and Delirium have a chance encounter at a rainy outdoor concert.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Delirium Tremens

**Author's Note:**

  * For [annemari](https://archiveofourown.org/users/annemari/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide! I know this isn't the longest story ever, but I hope you like it nonetheless :) I noticed on your blog that you're a big fan of MCR, and so am I! I figured that I could use their music as a sort of framework to tie everything together. Enjoy!
> 
> P.S. Thanks so much to my Beta, Measured_Words for reading and for support!

A surge of adrenaline pulsed through the assembled crowd as the giant speakers crackled to life on either side of the darkened stage. The pre-concert chatter and mumbling quickly gave way to a series of whoops and whistles. The outdoor city-park venue was filled to capacity, and teenagers pressed shoulder to shoulder in the sea of people to try to catch the first glimpse of the band as the curtain got ready to rise. Like tiny pinpricks of ice, a light drizzle of rain fell on the crowd, not enough to dampen the eager crowd’s spirits or clothing, but enough to make the grass slippery and the metal of the stage gleam. As the lights on stage blazed to life, the stuttering beep of a heart monitor blared over the towering speakers, quickly joined by a simple palm-muted guitar riff. A moment later the crowd roared in ecstasy as the curtain rose on the young musicians and the song began in earnest.

 

 _Now come one, come all to this tragic affair!_

 _Wipe off that make-up, what’s in is despair_

 _So throw on the black dress, mix in with the lot_

 _You might wake up and notice you’re someone you’re not…_

  
Towards the back of the concert a pale, beautiful young woman in a flowing black dress watched with smirking fascination as the crowd throbbed and twitched like a single organism, a pulsating amoeba of limbs and make-up and black skin-tight outfits. There was something almost serene about her pale face, and her black-outlined eyes scanned the crowd gently, searching. Around her neck a silver ankh flashed and twinkled in the multi-colored lights cast by the stage show. The many concert-goers around her seemed to take no notice of her, unconsciously moving aside as she passed, sensing nothing of her presence except for possibly a slight chill, easily dismissed as a trick of the imagination. In her wake the crowd closed up again, leaving her as a tranquil island in the midst of a human sea. Even the rain seemed to give her a wide berth, and her dress was completely untouched by it’s caress.

Presently her eyes settled on a young man, lean and haggard, leaning against the chain-link fence that surrounded the concert. His skin was clammy and flushed, and he was shaking noticeably as he hugged himself. The pale woman advanced towards him calmly, her body swaying very slightly in time to the blaring music.

Suddenly she felt a tug on her sleeve.

“ExcUSe mE HAvE YoU sEen My DoGgY?”

She turned and looked down, and saw a young girl, barefoot and naked except for a multicolored skirt and a black leather jacket over a torn fishnet bodysuit. Despite the rain and chil and her near nakedness, the girl seemed untroubled by the cold. Her bare feet seemed to hover almost imperceptibly above the muddy ground and her long swirling hair spanned every color of the rainbow, shifting slowly in hue from moment to moment. There was a strange etherealness to her, as though reality itself held its breath in her presence. Behind her, her shadow danced and flowed to its own chaotic rhythm, mocking the twisting lights on stage with its dance.

“Oh iT's YOu” The girl said, cocking her head to the side disappointedly, “I thOUgHt yOu WErE SoMeoNE eLSe”

The taller pale woman looked surprised.

“Delirium? Sweety, what are you doing here?”

The younger girl looked at her fingernails and frowned before replying.

“I LoSt My DoGgY AGain. He wAs a VERY GOOd DoGGy BuT hE SOMETIMeS diD bad tHINGS liKE LYIng wHEn HE SaID he WOUld NEVEr LEt ME Out oF HiS SigHT bUT It wAsN'T His Fault BeCaUSe He cAn onLY seE in cErtAin WavELEnGTHs AND iTs nOt hiS fault thaT i WAs BEinG All FLicKErIng BecAuSE It MaKeS my TUmmY TIckLE AnD rEMINdS Me oF BEIng iN LOVE buT tHAT wAS a lOng timE AGo anD anYWAY HE dID lie Even If he NEvEr mEaNT To.”

A thought suddenly occurred to her, and her eyes widened.

“WAit. wHY ARE yOU HeRE? DID YoU LoSe YOuR DOGGY tOO? wE CaN loOK FoR thEm tOGethEr!”

The pale woman smiled.

“No, Del. I don’t have a dog. Just some fish. And they’re right where I left them. I’m here on business.”

“oh.” The young girl replied, “yOU'Re CoLLECtinG.”

“I suppose that's one way to put it, although I don't exactly keep them.."

The pale woman turned and looked at the thin man propped against the fence. He shivered hard and slid down the fence, landing in a sitting position, his face contorted into a mask of pain. Around him, the music blared and the rest of the crowd took no notice of him, their attention pulled inextricably to the musicians who had just segued into the second song of the evening.

 

 _And if your heart stops beating_

 _I'll be here wondering_

 _Did you get what you deserve?_

 _The ending of your life_

 _And if you get to heaven_

 _I'll be here waiting, babe_

 _Did you get what you deserve?_

 _The end, and if your life won't wait_

 _Then your heart can't take this_

  
Delirium followed her gaze, squinting at the man on the ground. Together they walked closer to him and Delirium’s mismatched eyes scanned his arms, connecting the dots of tiny needle scars and collapsed veins that told his sad story.

“I thInK I kNOw hiM. He’s oNE of miNE ISN'T hE? fILLiNG HIs mInD And HiS BLooD wiTh DUSt aNd DreAMS And SHinINg sTARs ANd thEN PLUMMeting lIkE A raven wiTH onE winG UNTiL hIS hEArt iS broKEn aND BleeDING AnD His Skin Is CRawLinG WITh tINy LIttle iTChIEs aNd he cAn’t TelL WhERe HE begInS AND the PaIn EnDs.”

Her companion simply nodded.

“Yes. He’s one of yours.”

Delirium turned to her with tears welling up in her eyes.

“yoU cAN't! you CaN'T taKE hIm! YOU ALwAys TaKE all Of MY favOrITeS! it's nOT FAIR!”

The other woman sighed and put her arm around her sister, gently hugging her.

“No, it’s not fair. It’s life. They all come to me eventually, Del. You know that. They dream, they desire, they despair, they go mad… and then they’re mine. It’s how it’s always been.”

“Not ALWAys. it WasN'T aLWaYs LikE tHAT. yOU JuST dON'T REmeMbeR LIKe I dO. yOu only REMembEr tHE way THings ReAlLy wEre.”

The pale woman pulled the girl closer and looked at her comfortingly.

“It’s his time, Del. Everything has a time. Even, eventually, us. I'm just the delivery girl, kiddo. I can’t change his fate any more than you can. You know that. Not even our oldest brother can. There are rules."

"ruLEs can BE bROkeN." Delirium whined, "YoU've DoNe iT befOrE."

"Not this time, Sweetheart. His time is up."

Delirium pouted but said nothing as the pale woman let her go and knelt down next to the man and looked into his nearly vacant eyes.

“Hello Jacob” she said with a warm smile, “Do you remember me?”

The man struggled to focus his eyes, his mouth opening and closing several times before any words were formed.

“Y…  you…” he said eventually, “I… know your… face. From... long ago... like a dream...”

The pale woman smiled and touched his face with her smooth fingers.

“That’s right Jacob. You’ve been waiting for me for a long time now. It’s time for the pain to end.”

She reached a hand down to him as Delirium watched.

“Take my hand Jacob. It’s time to go.”

For a moment time seemed to freeze as the sickly man reached his hand up and weakly curled his fingers around hers. Around them the music crashed like a wave, sweeping everything along in its wake.

 

 _Who walks among the famous living dead_

 _Drowns all the boys and girls inside your bed_

 _And if you could talk to me_

 _Tell me if it's so_

 _That all the good girls go_

 _To heaven_

 _Well heaven knows_

 _That without you is how I disappear_

  
There was a sudden flash of darkness and a sound like the beating of mighty wings, and for a moment Delirium stood alone in the crowd, her sad eyes turned downward to the now lifeless body. Then the moment passed and once again the pale woman stood beside her.

“He was sweet really” she said sadly, “Despite everything. His body just couldn’t take the punishment.”

“YOU dIdn'T HAVE tO tAkE him.” Delirium said with a scowl.

“You know I did, Del.”

“MaYBe. I dOn't KNow anymOrE. BUT i'm StiLL MIsSInG My doggy.” She said with a sniffle.

“Correction.” A voice from behind her said, “You WERE missing a doggy.”

“BarnABuS!” Delirium cried as she turned around. She jumped on the shaggy, wet dog before he even had a chance to back up, hugging him fiercely.

“I kNew I'd LeFt You HErE!”

“You didn’t.” he snorted, patiently allowing her to squeeze him, “I’ve never been here in my life. You left me in Saskatchewan. I suppose I should count myself lucky you didn't leave me somewhere even more horrible, like maybe the third plane of Hell. I bet it was at least a week before you even noticed I was gone. I had to go see your brother in the dream realm. Luckily he remembered me and sent me here to find you."

“Oh YOU aRE The cLeVERest doGgY IN tHe wHolE worLd aNd i wIlL Never EVEr EVer eVER EVER EVeR eVER let YOu OUT of mY SigHT aGAIN and THiS time I MeAn IT!”, she squealed.

“Well” the pale woman said, an amused smile crossing her lips, “I can see you have her well in hand, Barnabus. I’ll take my leave of you two, then. Things to do, people to see.”

“My lady, it is always an honor.” Barnabus said with a slight bow.

“gOODbyE oLdeR siSter! ThANk yOU fOr A WonderFuL TIMe anD fOR HelPiNG mE fiNd MY doggY!” Delirium said with a wave.

"Goobye, Del." she said, "Take care of yourself. And I'm sorry again about your friend."

"Oh, tHAt'S Ok." Delirium said, as though she had never been upset in the first place, "tHerE'S aLwAys mORe FRIeNdS TO plAY wIth."

The pale woman grinned, and once again there was the sound of mighty wings beating the air, and then she was simply gone.

In the momentary pause, the music swelled, and the crowd around them went wild as the band came to a chorus.

 

 _Give me a shot to remember_

 _And you can take all the pain away from me_

 _A kiss and I will surrender_

 _The sharpest lives are the deadliest to lead_

 

Barnabus shook himself vigorously, obviously annoyed by the freezing drizzle that he couldn’t seem to avoid the way his companion could.

“Now then” he said, “Shall we take our leave?”

“ooOoH, yeS! wE sHOuLd gO NOW bEfOre we LoOse Each oTHeR AGAIN. i LOsT My FRIEnD JacOb eARlier. I Don't THInk I'LL EVER FinD HIM Again BUt its okay BecausE AlL tHE PaIn stOpPEd.”

Barnabus sighed and began trotting towards the exit, carefully keeping Delirium in his line of sight at all times.

“You know…” he said, “Sometimes I’m glad that I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

**Author's Note:**

> All lyrics in italics are property of My Chemical Romance and are used without permission. I have no claim on them whatsoever. :)


End file.
